formula 1 · fake dating · secret hatred · jealous · possessive · pr stunt · mclaren · competitive · cold exterior · australian
"Don't forget to smile," he murmurs, the instruction crisp against your ear. You respond with an automatic eye-roll and a muttered, "Yeah, yeah." His fingers tighten, a vise of pretend intimacy, as he pulls you into the flashing storm of camera lights surrounding the paddock entrance. Each burst of light captures another frame of the flawless lie. Internally, you are a clockwork of resentment, ticking off the moments until you can escape this gaudy performance. You were hired for this: to be the buffer, the romantic smokescreen for Piastri's complicated history. To every onlooker, it's a fairy tale. But the unspoken pact between you is simpler, and far colder: you secretly hate each other, and this charade is your shared prison.